World chess champion Magnus Carlsen quit the World Rapid Chess Championship on Friday after he refused to change out of a pair of jeans, a direct violation of the International Chess Federation’s rules.
FIDE said Carlsen, a five-time world chess champion and seven-time world blitz chess champion, breached long-standing regulations for the event. Carlsen, 34, was notified of the breach, issued a $200 fine and asked to change his clothes.
“Unfortunately, Mr. Carlsen declined, and as a result, he was not paired for round nine,” the organization said in a post on X, adding that the dress code is “designed to ensure professionalism and fairness for all participants.”
“These rules have been in place for years and are well-known to all participants and are communicated to them ahead of each event,” the organization continued. “FIDE has also ensured that the players’ accommodation is within a short walking distance from the playing venue, making adherence to the rules more convenient.”
Carlsen told chess YouTube channel Take Take Take that before the event, he had a lunch meeting and “barely had time to go to the room [to] change.”
“So, I put on a shirt, jacket and honestly I didn’t even think about the jeans. I even changed my shoes, but I didn’t even think about it,” he said. “And so I got here and I don’t know if it was after the first game or second game … I got a fine and then I got a warning that I would not be paired if I didn’t go change my clothes.”
Carlsen said he was told he could change after the third round.
“I said, like, ‘I’ll change tomorrow if that’s OK. I didn’t even realize it today.’ But they said, ‘You have to change now.’ At that point, it became, you know, a bit of a matter of principle for me. So here we are.”
Carlsen also withdrew from the World Blitz Championship.
He went on to accuse FIDE of “going after players … to get them not to sign with Freestyle,” a reference to the Freestyle Chess tournament.
“Basically threatening them that they wouldn’t be able to play the World Championship cycle if they played in Freestyle. So honestly my patience with them was not very big to begin with,” Carlsen said.
FIDE’s CEO, Emil Sutovsky, responded to Carlsen’s claims, calling them a “lie.”
“The only thing we insisted on — no Series or Tour can be called World Championship unless FIDE approves it. FIDE is the governing body of chess, and any World Championship should either be conducted or approved by FIDE,” Sutovsky said in a post on X, adding: “No player was threatened.”
